An Infinite Universe
by LuxAmbrose
Summary: Doctor McCoy just wanted to get through the next five years and survive the unavoidable chaos that comes with the Enterprise. He didn't have big plans for himself. Then again he also hadn't planned on Doctor Olivia Lane, a pathologist trying to move on with life after Khan. It's an infinite universe with infinite possibilities, including a shot at love. Slow burn. R/R!
1. Prologue: Fireflies and Coffee

**A/N – Okay, so here we go! I've been playing around with this story for a long time and decided to give it a whirl. I really want to dig into how these characters have evolved and changed in light of the things they've been through. So although there is a big, arcing plot peppered with smaller events, parts of this story are really going to focus on the relationships between the characters too!**

 **Just a head's up, this is going to be a sloooooow burn between Bones and Olivia, and one with what I hope is a different spin. I hope that you guys like it!**

 **Disclaimer – I don't own Star Trek, I do own Olivia!**

Prologue – Fireflies and Coffee

Leonard McCoy liked to think of himself as a man of principle, honor and duty. He took his oaths seriously, in medicine; in Starfleet; even in marriage, despite that being spectacular failure. He was a man of his word, always had been, always would be and any of his friends from school and academy would attest to that. Yet, as he stood on the top balcony of his parents house and drank in the Georgia sunset, he began to wonder if he were capable of going AWOL.

It couldn't be that difficult, he reasoned, swirling the rapidly melting ice cubes around in his bourbon. All he'd have to do is take himself completely off the grid and disappear into a tiny Georgia town and open shop practicing family medicine. He wouldn't mind ridding himself of all the pesky technology. After all, doctors practiced medicine without tricorders and dermal regenerators for hundreds upon hundreds of years, how hard could it be? A tiny part of him had always liked the idea of running a small one-man operation and that part of him grew the older her got.

Maybe he could find an old building, one with actual doors that swung on hinges and had pane glass windows. The romantic side of him thought with longing for a sign to hang above his door and wearing a pair of beat up blue jeans instead of his Starfleet issue uniform. Leo fantasized about waking up to actual sunshine creeping in through his windows, casting beams of warm light over his bed and spending his evenings sitting on a wraparound porch with a glass of cold sweet tea and nothing but fireflies for entertainment. Yeah, that was the life.

Resting his forearms on the railing, he felt his lips draw into a gentle scowl. Of course, there was no way in hell he could ever take himself off the grid. Leo was halfway convinced that Jim Kirk would engage in a march through the south so reminiscent of General Sherman's that the Leo would find a blazing trail all the way to his front door.

Smirking at the thought of Jim Kirk rallying his troops wearing a civil war era uniform, Leo took a steady draw from his drink and forced himself to refocus his attention. Although the rational side of Leo knew that the sunset from Georgia was no different from the sunset anywhere else in the world, he still liked to think different. The sun sank into the tree line behind his parents house, releasing a cacophony of colors bursting outward into the darkness that began to settle over his hometown and parents' house. Like a living painting the colors drew across the sky, accompanied by the dulcet tones is cicadas and crickets coming out from their hiding places. Those fireflies began to appear in the small field that ran behind his family home and he inhaled deep, trying to memorize the scent of honeysuckles and a warmth that was the south all its own.

Tomorrow morning this would all be a sweet memory and he would be on a shuttle bound for San Francisco and then another bound for the _Enterprise_. After that it would be five achingly long years in space. That meant five years of hurtling through the darkness in a glorified tin can with no set course and no clue what horrors awaited them. Already Leo's skin crawled at the thought of what heinous diseases lurked on yet undiscovered planets and how many different ways the locals of said planets could come up with to try and kill them. He'd tried to convince Jim that as the ship's chief medical officer he was better served staying aboard the ship to handle incoming wounded, but to no avail. Not that he'd expected it to work in the first place.

Five years was an awfully long time and a lot could happen. Leo sipped his drink and relished in the burn that seared down his throat. At least some things were constant. As long as Georgia summers remained constant then Leo could manage the rest.

"One of these days," he muttered to himself and bowed his head in resolve.

If Leo was a man of his word to the rest of the world then surely he could one to himself. So he promised himself right then and there that when he got back to earth that he'd buy his little slice of heaven in the country. A two story house with a wrap around porch and swing just big enough for two in the hopes that one day he'd find someone to share it with. "White washed fences and sweet tea."

X X X

The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the top of the Marin Headlands always took Olivia's breath away. Fog rose off the bay and the clouds were beginning to clear, making way for a brilliant sunrise. The rays pushed through the last of the cloud cover, forcing spires of light over the city skyline. Shattering on the surface of the bay, the sunlight glittered over the water and shed a beautiful glow on the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a glorious morning, a perfect morning.

From the highest vantage point she could see all of San Francisco, sprawling along the edge of the bay. She sat on a blanket, picking out the familiar buildings and watching the miniscule cars as they crossed the bridge. For a while, Olivia entertained herself by making up the life stories of the drivers, where they were headed to, what they were doing, who they were with. One by one, each tiny car disappeared over the edge, off to wherever it belonged.

Beyond the bridge, she could see the massive Starfleet campus. The last of the construction cranes came down just two weeks ago, in time for the dedication. Olivia remembered standing among the crowd in her dress uniform, listening to the speakers and trying not to think about Alex. Just thinking about Alex tugged at her heartstrings and she pulled a fine chain out from beneath her cream long sleeved shirt. Absently, Olivia toyed with the three rings on the chain, all while watching the sun creep higher and higher into the sky.

"Five years, Alex," she whispered to the air.

Olivia could still hear the warning in her sister's voice. _"Are you sure you want to do this Liv? Five years is a long time."_

Flopping back on her blanket, Olivia held the rings tight in her palm, pressing it over her chest. "It's all going to be fine," she said into the nothingness. Closing her eyes, she relished in the warmth on her face and the cool wind that swept over the plateau. In the distance she could hear the faintest sounds of a city beginning to wake. But from her place of quiet solace, Olivia heard nothing but the cries of a few errant gulls and felt nothing but the perfectness of the morning that enveloped her.

This was her favorite place on earth, maybe even in the universe. It was the place where Alex took her on their first date and the place they escaped to on their rare free Saturday mornings. Alex proposed to her in almost the exact spot where she lay. Olivia came here to grieve him after he died. It was their place and the last place she wanted to be before leaving earth for five years.

" _Liv, please reconsider this,"_ her sister had begged when Olivia put in a request and application to join the _Enterprise_ crew. Annette pulled every trick in the book to convince Olivia to stay, from her famous guilt trips to outright begging, but Olivia would not be swayed. _"I can't explain it, but I know that I need to do this, I need to go_ ,"she'd responded to her sister's pleading.

"I need to get away," murmured Olivia.

The sound of footfall on the loose gravel behind Olivia pulled her out of her reverie. Sitting up, she turned around to find a familiar figure. "I thought I'd find you here," said Carol Marcus, squinting in the morning sun. She held a large bag in one hand and looked well equipped for the chilly morning in a bright red jacket and compression running tights. A smile tugged at the corners of Olivia's mouth.

"Four years as roommates taught you a lot about me," she said and scooted over, patting a spot on the blanket next to her. Carol's lips pulled into a white smile and she trudged the last few steps to the blanket. "Do you come bearing gifts?"

Kneeling on the blanket, Carol pushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and nodded. "As a matter of fact I do," she said and opened the bag to reveal an entire spread of their San Francisco favorites. "Let's see we have coffee from Market Street Beanhouse, citrus chocolate chip scones from Blue Bridge Bakery, and last but not least breakfast burritos from Manny's."

"See, this is why we're friends," said Olivia as she opened the jug of coffee and poured it into the two cups Carol brought. "You just implicitly understand my need for caffeine, chocolate, and the best Mexican food in the city."

Carol doled out the breakfast burritos and Olivia bit into hers, savoring the last taste of non-replicated food they'd have for the foreseeable future. Both women drank in the silence, and Olivia appreciated that she and Carol didn't have to exchange words to have a conversation. They'd found themselves in this familiar place often since Carol survived Khan's attack on the _Enterprise_ and Olivia lost her husband in the aftermath. Olivia drank her coffee, letting the warm liquid wash down her throat while she watched a ferry inch along the bay. "I'm glad you're going to be with us, with me. After this last year, I could definitely use another familiar face."

"Me too," she murmured, picking at the foil wrapper from her breakfast burrito. "Especially considering I don't know anyone else," she muttered under her breath.

Olivia didn't even have to look at Carol to know that she was rolling her eyes. "You're about to board a starship with roughly six hundred crew members, odds are you know at least a couple of them."

It was Olivia's turn to roll her eyes. She wadded up her burrito wrapper and pushed it in the bag. "You know what I mean, Carol. I'm good with microscopes and tissue samples, people escape me."

Carol absently tapped one of her manicured fingers on the lid of her coffee cup, turning her head to fix Olivia with a kind expression. "Just wait until you meet our first officer. Besides, you do perfectly well with people, you just haven't had a ton of practice this past year."

That was the understatement of the year, thought Olivia. After Khan attacked Olivia was rushed home only to find San Francisco in shambles and her husband lost beneath the rubble. Once the initial shock wore off, Olivia returned to duty aboard the _Newton_ , allowing herself to retreat behind her microscopes and lab equipment. If not for her commanding officer practically forcing her to apply for the vacant pathology spot on the _Enterprise_ Olivia would never have left the comfort of the _Newton_. "It's different," she said at last, unable to look at Carol. "Sometimes I wake up and it's like I'm this completely different person. Like the Olivia from Academy who loved to play drinking games with you at parties and would sneak out with Alex at two in the morning died with him."

Carol's hand came to rest on Olivia's shoulder, squeezing it gently. "I know."

The emphatic tone of Carol's voice pulled Olivia back into reality. "God, I'm sorry, of course you know exactly what this feels like. I mean you lost your dad, I was on a science vessel halfway across the Alpha quadrant and you were actually living it."

"The different being Alex was an innocent life," Carol noted.

Both women fell silent for a long time. Olivia refilled her coffee and tried to imagine what her life would be like if Alex were still alive. "We are so depressing."

At long last Carol laughed, followed by Olivia. Their mixed laughter echoed across the plateau and Olivia's head fell on Carol's shoulder. Carol dropped her head on top of Olivia's and she soaked in the comfort. In just a few hours they would both be aboard the _Enterprise_ , separated off into their different departments. But, for the moment Olivia could relish in the simplicity of their friendship, as strong as it had been since their first day at the academy. "I'm nervous."

"I am too," admitted Carol. "But it's going to be fine, you know that, right? I mean, if you and I can survive this past year we can get through anything."

"It's been a hell of a year," said Olivia.

Carol kept her gaze forward, staring out over the bay. Absently Olivia wondered what life would be like to be in one of those tiny cars, going to a regular day job. "You're probably right. I mean, I'm the daughter of a mass murderer and you lost the love of your life. Things can't possibly get any worse than that."

Olivia shook her head and fished the scones out of the wax paper bag. "Well, for you at least," she replied and pushed her fingers through her tumbling curls of dark chocolate hair. Carol let out a shocked half-laugh and pushed Olivia's shoulder, sending the girl teetering sideways. "Too soon?"

 **A/N – so there's the prologue to introduce three of the story's major players. I fully intend to explore the relationships between many of the main characters in this universe. The next chapter will feature the** _ **Enterprise**_ **and some first meetings.**

 **Reviews are love! - Brose**


	2. Shuttles and Meetings

**A/N: Apologies for the delay! I have a litany of excuses which include my stupid job, leaving my stupid job, moving to Colorado, and having computer chaos which led to a new laptop.**

 **This chapter is a bit of character intro and its shorter than I intended, but I'm happy with it. We have the first of many meetings and the introduction of an important character in the story Head Nurse Amira Nazir. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Also – thanks for the review, faves, and follows!**

 **Disclaimer – I don't own Star Trek…I do own Olivia and Amira.**

 **Chapter One – Shuttles and Meetings**

Three hours after soaking in the San Francisco sunrise, Olivia found herself standing in the massive hangar that housed the entire operation necessary to get a crew of 600 hundred plus onto a starship. She knew that crewmembers had been flooding in for days, beginning with the loading crew and low level personnel. Various check-in points scattered through the hangar, each representing major departments. Sucking in a tight breath, Olivia started towards the sciences division check-in. She tried to avoid shoving her hands in the pockets of the god-awful Starfleet issue flight suits.

A Starfleet commander stood at the check-in point with a large screen. Olivia's heart thudded a little harder as she approached and the back of her neck grew hot. Absently, she wondered if her nerves reflected in her grey eyes. The commander, wearing stark black looked up as Olivia stopped before her. She was a short woman, hair pulled back into a severe bun at the back of her head.

"Name?"

"Doctor Olivia, uhm, Lieutenant Olivia Margot Lane," she said, stumbling over the words.

If the commander noticed Olivia's apparently inability to string a sentence together, she said nothing. "Lieutenant Olivia Margot Lane, M.D. Looks like you're assigned to medical division in medical and anatomic pathology. You are also to also serve as the ship's coroner, correct?"

Olivia rocked back on her heels. She did not miss the now-familiar expression that flickered across the commander's face. The word 'coroner' didn't exactly inspire fascination or adulation, but rather inspired a variation of awkward responses that included the shifty glance she'd just received. "That's me," she said.

"Place your hand on the screen for identification," said the commander, gesturing with her stylus to the screen next to her. Olivia stepped forward, feeling jumpy. Her palms had been clammy since she locked the door of her temporary quarters to head to the hangar. The last thing she wanted was for that to show up on the screen, but thankfully it didn't. Instead the scanner read her palm, positively identifying her. The commander nodded. "Welcome to the _Enterprise_ crew Lieutenant Lane. You're slated for shuttle 17. Once you've boarded the _Enterprise_ report to medical for your first shift."

"Yes ma'am," said Olivia and turned on heel, departing so the next in line could step forward. It took her several minutes to find shuttle 17. Swallowing hard, Olivia swept her curls behind her shoulders and gripped the rail, walking up the stairs to board. Olivia was strongly reminded of the first day of school as she ducked into the shuttle and found a smattering of other crewmembers, scattered across the various seats. Wringing her hands, Olivia filed into the shuttle and found an empty row near the middle

Sitting in the window seat, Olivia could see the chaos unfolding in the hangar. A few shuttles took off for the docking station where the _Enterprise_ awaited them. She tried to settle back into her seat and relax but her entire body still hummed with nervous energy. "Is anyone sitting here?"

A voice interrupted her reverie. The strong accent surprised her and Olivia started, turning to see a man standing at the entrance to the row. "No, it's all yours," she said, trying to drum up a smile.

"Cheers," he said and sat down next to her. Olivia decided she liked his kind brown eyes and easy manner as he completely relaxed into his seat. She glanced at him once more before starting to look away, but couldn't help but look back to check his department. He caught her looking and he chuckled. "Montgomery Scott," he said and held out a hand.

"Olivia Lane," she replied and took his hand.

"You look nervous," he said and she pushed her hair out of her face again.

Olivia wrinkled her nose in displeasure. "Is it that obvious?"

"Just a wee bit," he admitted. Dropping her head back, Olivia tried to compose herself. "First time serving aboard a starship?"

She nodded. "Yeah. Well no. What I mean is I served three years on a science vessel, but never a starship. A crew of eighty is a lot different than one this big, so it's all practically new to me." Immediately, Olivia wanted to clap a hand over her mouth to stop her rambling. Over the course of her life, she'd been told how terribly awkward she was with strangers, and it appeared that Montgomery Scott was no different. Olivia's proclivity to ramble when she was nervous only magnified tenfold when dealing with unfamiliar people and territory. This only fell into the top fifty reasons why she was better suited for life behind a microscope, she thought.

And yet, her companion took it all in stride. He stretched his arms out in front of him and cracked his knuckles before crossing them loosely over his chest. "Try being stranded on an ice planet for a few years, now that is a miserable situation."

Olivia pulled a sympathetic face; she hated being cold. "I think I'll pass. What put landed you there?"

Montgomery grinned and a nostalgic light flickered into his brown eyes. "It's a long story, but it boils down to a failed transporter equation and a lost dog."

This explanation didn't help Olivia in the slightest, but she decided not to push the issue further. After all, she'd only met the man moments before, she wasn't exactly in a position to ask a million questions. He contented himself to watch other crewmembers trickle in, saying hello to some the women and men as they passed. It struck Olivia that he was likely a veteran to the _Enterprise_. Spots on the ship were limited in the lead up to its departure and rumor had it that Captain Kirk liked to keep as much of the same crew as he could and his crew felt the same about serving under his command.

At length, Scotty grew tired of people watching and returned his attention Olivia. "You're in sciences, doing what exactly?" He looked pointedly at the blue triangles at her shoulders.

"Medical and anatomical pathology," she replied drumming her fingers on her knee. "That, and I'm serving as the ship's medical examiner. What about you?"

"Chief Engineering Officer," he replied. Olivia's jaw dropped as she realized she was sitting next to _the_ Montgomery Scott, the man who pioneered transwarp beaming. He had literally changed the face of space travel. It then occurred to Olivia that she was gaping and then she shut her mouth while her cheeks flushed. "I know, I know. It's hard to believe a man of my handsome stature is confined to the bowels of the ship, but there you are."

Olivia smiled, shook her head, and tried to recover. "I'm sure you do the job with distinction."

"That I do, lassie. That I do."

The remainder of Olivia's shuttle boarded and the door shut. She watched as a tall man ducked down and then took a seat near the front of the shuttle with a beautiful middle eastern woman. All of her attention fell on the man, a face she knew from medical journals and from the roster of her own department. "Doctor McCoy, your new commanding officer, I believe," noted Scotty.

"Yeah," she said slowly and in surprise. Doctor McCoy looked even younger in person than he did in photographs but the serious expression that marred his otherwise handsome features remained the same. Among the elite of his class, McCoy was a year behind Olivia but completed academy a year ahead of schedule upon his astronomic promotion to chief medical officer of the _Enterprise_. Only the other night Olivia had practically devoured his latest publication on the dangers of using beta blockers to treat certain symptoms of interstellar anxiety disorders and phobias. Working under his command had been one of the new perks of Olivia's transfer, McCoy was considered the best among the best.

"Don't let his tough act fool you though, underneath good doctor has a heart of gold."

Olivia arched a brow at Mr. Scott's comment, but was saved from further response when the shuttled departed. Instead they both turned their faces out of the windows, watching as San Francisco grew smaller and smaller until it disappeared entirely. "Five years in space," she whispered.

"I hope we both know what we got ourselves into," muttered Mr. Scott. Olivia could only nod in reply.

X X X

Leo needed to find a way to tell his Head Nurse to stop intimidating him without actually saying it. Just sitting next to her caused him a certain measure of discomfort that perhaps she'd notice he'd missed a spot shaving or that his grey flight suit was slightly wrinkled. Nurse Amira Nazir wore her pitch black hair pulled back into a tight, elegant bun and sat ramrod straight. Every detail of her appearance was absolutely perfect, from the shape of her eyebrows to the pristine fit of her jumpsuit.

Nurse Nazir's impeccable attention to detail was why he'd accepted her as his Head Nurse upon the departure of Christine Chapel. She had taken the wonderful foundation laid by Nurse Chapel and completely transformed his medical bay into a well-oiled machine. Currently, she sat next to him, PADD in her capable hands taking down his list of pre-departure orders.

"Make sure that all of the nurses have been updated on triage and emergency protocols. Some of our new transfers are coming from older ships that don't have the same equipment or come from smaller ships where emergency protocol is different. Also, I want to meet with all of the ship's attending physicians before their first shifts end, if I can't remember their names at least I will have seen their faces." Leo rattled off his instructions as the shuttle craft drew closer to the _Enterprise_. Discussing the medical bay and everything that needed to be done on the outset of departure kept Leo's mind off the fact that he was strapped into a flying death tube. Sometimes he couldn't decide which he hated more: transporters or shuttles. Then he got on a shuttle and felt it rattle around, reminding him that if he was going to die via a transporter it would at least be quick.

"Yes Doctor McCoy. Would you also like to address the nursing staff?" Nurse Nazir enquired as she finished entering the last of his orders on her PADD.

"No, I'll leave that to you, but remind all of them to be aware of their shift hours. The last thing I need is Starfleet Medical accusing me of working my staff too hard." Nurse Nazir finally broke her iron façade and politely raised her hand to cover the fact that her lips twitched in a smile. Leo found his seemingly permanent grimace deepen. "Keep that up and I'll blame you for it."

Leo's mild threat had absolutely zero impact on his head nurse. After spending all of the last two years under his command she'd learned when he was and wasn't being serious. "I'll remind them and continue to conduct bi-weekly log checks."

Satisfied, Leo tried to loosen up and relax into his seat but to no avail. "You will also need to meet each of your medical science officers and begin approving final research proposals."

He knew he'd been forgetting something. A five year mission meant a greater number of science officers and Jim unceremoniously put him in charge of medical research. "I'll make a point to check in during the first couple of weeks. Is there anyone else on the medical staff I should look in on?"

Nurse Nazir zipped through a few screens on her PADD, her heavy brows knitted together in concentration. "The ship's psychiatrists, there are five of them. Then there's your pharmacists, also five in total. There are also two pathologists, Doctor Graham Alvarez and Doctor Olivia Lane, both specializing in medical and anatomical pathology. Ah, it also appears that Doctor Lane has a secondary specialty in forensic pathology and is serving as the ship's medical examiner."

Now there was a job Leo didn't envy for the world. Much as he was loathe to admit it sometimes, Leo far preferred his patients alive and had never had much of a stomach for cutting open the dead. He would happily pass that baton off to Lieutenant Lane, although he certainly hoped he'd never need those services. "Send a message for her to meet me at some point before her first shift ends as well," he rattled off and then sighed.

When had the practice of medicine become so administrative for Leo? There was a time when he could be a doctor without having to worry about someone else's research project or nurse schedules. Most days he didn't mind the title of chief medical officer and all that came with it, but there were definitely moments where he severely regretted not finding a patch of country land and saying to hell with his medical degree. At least that way he could get the peace and quiet he always seemed to lack on the _Enterprise_.

"Yes, Doctor McCoy," said Nurse Nazir, taking his latest command and waiting patiently for the remainder. But Leo was out of orders for the moment. There was still plenty to do in the coming days. The start of a long voyage was always chaos of medical.

The shuttle entered the loading bay of the _Enterprise_ and a sense of finality fell on his shoulders. This was it. There was no turning back now. He still couldn't entirely believe that Jim managed to con him into spending five full years in space. That was five years of his life he wasn't getting back.

Nurse Nazir continued to annotate his orders, muttering under her breath to herself as she did so. Leo could see that the wore the earrings the nursing staff gave her for her birthday two years ago. Deciding that he'd badgered her enough for the foreseeable future, he instead focused on the sounds of the shuttle reaching its dock and the moorings reaching out to attach it to the ship. At length the shuttle door opened so the crew could disembark.

Rising to his feet, Leo fought the urge to stretch his arms over his head. Already he could feel the strange effects that space had on the human body. The _Enterprise_ successfully countered most adverse effects of interstellar travel, but Leo could always tell the difference between the space and solid earth beneath his feet. Turning to collect the PADD he'd carried on board, Leo saw Scotty's familiar face. The engineer was in conversation with a woman with curly dark brown hair.

"Doctor McCoy?" Nurse Nazir's voice pulled him back to attention and he followed her out of the shuttle.

Loathe as he was to admit it, the _Enterprise_ was basically a second home to him now and there were paths Leo knew on the ship as well as the back of his hand. All around him the ship was a blur of motion. Faces whizzed in and out of focus as he and Nazir took the most direct route to medical. He was ready to change out of that godforsaken jump suit and to settle into his familiar role. At least once he reached the medical bay he could slip into doctor mode for the final fitness for duty scans for the last of the crew for a reprieve from administration, no matter how brief it might be.

X X X

Scotty was kind enough to show Olivia to the turbo lift that would carry her to the sixth deck and the med bay. As he guided her out of the shuttle bay and into one of the main concourses of the ship, he explained the layout of the _Enterprise_ and tried to refresh her memory of the deck numbering system as best he could in their limited time. Olivia's head spun as she tried to keep up with the information. The _Newton_ was incomparably, hilariously smaller than the _Enterprise_ and she already knew her first few weeks would be mostly spend trying to navigate the ship's endless series of hallways, lifts, and staircases.

To say the _Enterprise_ also housed a veritable sea of crewmembers was a solid understatement. Turning in a slow circle, she tried to make heads or tails of the flow of traffic. Primary colored uniforms blended and blurred together in all directions, creating the illusion of green, orange, and purple. Blinking hard, Olivia trailed a little ways behind Scotty, open-mouthed in her shock.

"Oi! Keep up, then!" Scotty called for her and she came back to, finding the man waiting for her at an intersection of travel. "Your lift is straight ahead, first one on the right. If yeh need anything lass I'm always somewhere around down here," he gestured generally to the chaotic belly of the ship where they stood.

Despite her nerves, Olivia smiled, grateful for another friendly face in the waves of unfamiliar. "Thanks," she said breathlessly.

Scotty tipped his head genially to her and then disappeared in the crowd. Olivia started down the thoroughfare towards the lift. Ever since she'd accepted her commission with the _Enterprise_ Olivia had been dreaming of what her labs would look like. The position of ship's pathologist wasn't exactly a groundbreaking job, but she hadn't taken it to spend her time running tests on blood and tissue samples taken from sick crewmembers. No, she'd taken it for the research opportunities, for the chance to find, categorize and test new pathogens. While some cowered in fear at the prospects of the unknown and deep space, Olivia found herself eager to explore the possibilities of new diseases and more importantly, the opportunity to develop new methods of treatment and cures.

To do that her labs would have to be state of the art and that drew her in like a moth to a flame. That thought alone spurred her forward and onto the first lift to the right. As she stepped on, several other crewmembers crowded in with her, talking rapidly and excitedly about the mission. Pressed towards the back, she stood on the tips of her toes to make sure that Deck Six had been selected and satisfied that it had been, she tried to make herself as small as possible.

At the very front of the crowded lift, Doctor McCoy stood head and shoulders above the rest. Still in conversation with his companion, Olivia found herself totally fascinated by the CMO, the youngest in Starfleet history. The rumors that surrounded some of the crew of the _Enterprise_ had become close to lore in certain Starfleet circles. Doctor McCoy was no exception to the stories. He'd allegedly almost single-handedly run the medical bay after three doctors died during the _Nero_ incident, had nearly gotten himself blown up trying to disarm a photon torpedo, and kept the medical bay together when all hell broke loose during _Khan_. Olivia had heard his medical achievements included the identification and cataloguing of no less than six new tropical airborne pathogens, assisted in the containment and treatment of a small village on a survey planet, and most recently, had brought Captain Kirk back from the dead using a miracle cure that had subsequently been locked down.

He seemed more legend than man in the stories told by cadets and officers alike. But now that Olivia could see Doctor McCoy in person she found herself staring at a mere mortal, just like every other occupant in the lift. McCoy tugged uncomfortably at the collar of his flight suit and when he turned his head to talk, she could see the dark circles that clunk to the underside of his too serious eyes. Flush and visibly uncomfortable with being trapped on a lift with so many people, Olivia watched as he practically jumped off the lift when the doors opened on Deck Six.

She joined the fray with several others, following the general flow of traffic down the hall. Olivia didn't pay much attention to the bells and whistles in the pristine medial bay. Face-to-face patient treatment had never been her speed. Instead, Olivia followed the same layout as all other medical bays on Starfleet ships. Sure enough, she found a small communal changing room with lockers assigned to each medical officer. Tucked away in a corner was hers. Olivia quickly changed into her blue minidress, eager to report to her post in pathology.

Once she'd pulled on her white lab coat, Olivia left the changing room, pausing to stand aside while a small group of nurses entered. They were deep in gossip and Olivia only caught snatches of their conversation. Something about "Kirk" a "Betazoid" and a "drink in the face" was followed by a storm of giggling. Absently Olivia wondered if they were talking about Captain Kirk, her new captain, but she found she didn't really care. Instead, she continued down a vaguely familiar hall until she found the labs and offices marked pathology.

The doors slid open and Olivia walked into heaven.

 **A/N: Olivia meets Scotty! I hope it was organic and natural enough…I don't want to stray too far into "Olivia meets [blank], [blank] automatically loves Olivia and they are best friends forever and ever!" Friendships take time…Olivia's should not be an exception to the rule.**

 **Anyway I'd love to hear your thoughts, questions, predictions, etc! Much love – Brose.**


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